


you're familiar, like my mirror years ago.

by galeneiis



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, First Kiss, First Meetings, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, explicit depictions of showtunes and i have no regrets, hux has anxiety just like all of us in 2020, just in case anyone needs to avoid alcohol as a subject matter, rey knows EXACTLY what she is doing, wingmanning the wingman
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:21:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25814233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/galeneiis/pseuds/galeneiis
Summary: Had he known what would await him at yet another one of these boring college parties he secretly despised to an extent, Armitage might have locked himself in his room, only to be left to his thoughts and the countless what-ifs that seemed to haunt his every waking moment. Instead, he ends up as his flatmate's wingman yet again, only to realize he's the one who's needed a wingman all along.
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Kylo Ren (Past), Finn/Rey (Star Wars), Poe Dameron/Armitage Hux
Comments: 1
Kudos: 13





	you're familiar, like my mirror years ago.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [aheshke](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aheshke/gifts).



> a little damerux/gingerpilot (or whatever you want to call this ship) college AU, because I feel like we all need more of them in our life. expect a lot of fluff, but also sudden bouts of angst because ... reasons. don't know when exactly ill get to writing the next chapter (exams and all that, you know the drill) but it will be written eventually.  
> (also known as: Hux, the anxious economics major, and his adventures)
> 
> Fic title from hozier's "from eden". 
> 
> The musical song mentioned in the karaoke scene is "All You Wanna Do" from Six: The Musical.

Oh, how he hated parties—loud, crowded, full of people he did not know, people he had no idea how to approach—and yet, he found himself heading to one once a week at least. Did he enjoy the mild suffering he put himself through on Friday nights? Armitage could not say for sure, but more often than not his annoyance at his own decisions was cancelled out by the fact that he at least had something to distract him from everything else that was happening in his life. A much needed break, albeit it often was filled with nothing but him hugging his drink, quietly watching other people enjoying themselves until he was drunk enough to no longer feel too awkward to join them.

_“You need to get out of your shell, dude,”_ his flatmate’s words echoed in his head as he was on his way to the kitchen to grab yet another drink, a little disappointed with the selection since they seemed to be out of one of the ingredients for his favorite, Whiskey and Cranberry.

“Plain it is then,” he muttered to himself as he partially filled his glass once more, already anticipating the slight burn in his throat as he lifted the glass to his lips—it was cheap whiskey, not something he would drink for the mere enjoyment of its flavor, but he wasn’t about to be picky on a night out.

“Have you seen Rey?” Had he seen the girl his roommate was so obsessed with he barely went a waking minute without speaking about her? Of course he had, he knew that eventually Finn would come and ask him about her, for it was no secret that no matter how drunk he was, Armitage had a way of noticing everything that happened around him, as long as it did not concern his person.

“She came by to get some drinks a while ago, then headed towards the … I guess I would call it the front living room? The one with the karaoke.” Even after countless of these house parties, he still had not gotten used to how big some of his fellow students’ homes were. Old money, he assumed, though then again he had once heard that those families with old money did not flaunt their wealth.

It wasn’t like he would know from first-hand experience. His father made a comfortable living in the military, a career he had intended for his son as well, but eventually Armitage had managed to defy him in the matter, instead moving across the country to attend university. The proverbial great escape.

But alas, he had to return each year for Christmas, and with only one more month until the dreaded holiday, he once more realized how he soon would have to endure the verbal abuse, the complaints, the insults once more as his stepmother silently watched on. Sometimes he wondered if he should consider her complicit in his ruined childhood, or instead see her as yet another victim of his father. The jury was still out on that.

“You wanna come along and sing some? You usually seem rather keen on that.” Armitage’s love for all things music was hard to miss when one had to share a room with him, and sometimes he wondered how Finn managed to still put up with all of it, but he would not dare complain.

“I’m good, thanks, but tell Rey I said hi if you see her,” he declined, his attention returning to his glass as soon Finn had departed. He was well aware that Finn did not fully understand his rather withdrawn nature at parties, and Armitage had to admit that sometimes, he did not understand it himself, but after two more glasses of whiskey, it did not matter anymore anyways. He had finally reached that level of tipsiness that allowed him to feel rather comfortable with his surroundings—an unhealthy way of coping, no doubt, but he had never claimed to be the poster child for being a functioning adult—and soon made his way over to the front living room that housed the little karaoke situation, unable to hold back a laugh when he spotted Finn at the mic, belting out a quite entertaining rendition of “Don’t Stop Me Now”.

In moments like these, he found himself envying Finn for what he could only describe as a disregard for what people thought of him, a quality that hadn’t emerged solely because of the no doubt sufficient alcohol consumption. It was such a stark contrast to how Hux usually carried himself, and it had occasionally caused them to clash before, though these short confrontations had always ended in banter, something he appreciated for it had made him more conscious of the fact that to most people, confrontations were not something to be necessarily avoided.

“He’s good, isn’t he?” He had spotted Rey in the small crowd that had gathered to watch Finn’s little performance, unable to keep himself from trying to be some sort of wingman for his roommate. No, actually, that was a lie—he simply loved to know everything, and he figured that maybe talking to Rey when the other one wasn’t around would allow for him to find out some information he could later feed to Finn in order to finally convince him to ask her out.

“Huxie! Thought you’d never get your ass away from the bar!” So she had noticed him earlier after all— why she hadn’t said hi was a little bit of a mystery to him, but then again she had too many friends to count and a sometimes questionable attention span. Then again that was one of the traits he had grown to adore about her, that and the unimaginable amount of sass she often brought to the table.

“I wasn’t aware you had seen me, you know how I love to blend in with my surroundings. Chameleon and all that—maybe I have to practice some more.”

“Well, I’d rather you not, there’s actually someone I’d like you to meet.” Rey’s statement caught him rather off-guard, the wording of it making him worry that maybe she had started dating someone without him catching on—if that was the case he would be happy for her, though he wouldn’t be looking forward to delivering the news to the guy some might consider his closest friend.

“Are we talking about a boyfriend situation?” He was too focused on playing through all the scenarios in his head already, scenarios on what he’d say to hopefully help Finn get over his crush on her and still somehow keep their little friend group together, to notice that his friend had just finished his song and the girl hosting the karaoke was currently choosing another name from the list, though Rey’s response soon brought him back to reality.

“Oh, please, no. He’s just a friend of mine who transferred from overseas, I’m sure you’ll adore him, but—”

“Alright, next up … _Armitage?_ ”

For once, he was glad that he had been gripping his glass with both hands or he might’ve dropped it, and he was not planning on ruining a perfectly good drink.

“Oh yeah, Finn put your name on the list by the way I think, so … enjoy?” The mischievous smile on Rey’s face made him sigh, for he should’ve expected something like that - both her and Finn loved to occasionally force him out of his comfort zone, but these moments usually did not involve him being rather drunk and singing in front of people, something that, had he been sober, would’ve caused his anxiety levels to skyrocket.

“Which song did I put down again?” He asked the girl on his way to the mic, his eyes widening almost comically when she responded with one of his favorite musical songs. “The whole thing?”

“Well, most of the people here are theater kids in one way or another … and also pretty drunk, so no worries, just roll with it.”

Just roll with it. Oh, how he wanted to burst into a fit of laughter at that advice, and he might’ve if this entire thing did not feel like an opportunity to prove a point to his friend. No, he would not yield, though that temporary change in his personality probably was owed to the whiskey coursing through his system.

“I think we can all agree, I’m a ten amongst these threes.” Part of him was thankful that Finn had chosen that song, because after countless times of singing it whilst finishing assignments or tidying their shared room, it had become sort of a second nature to him. That fact alongside his rather intoxicated state had lent themselves to him being rather theatrical about his performance, though it was unsurprising considering his background as a musical theater geek and his love for the song he had been assigned.

Luckily he had barely any time to think about the fact that there were about twenty people watching his rather extended performance, though by the time had finished the song, he realized one of his hands had started shaking slightly—if due to a slight bout of anxiety or the amount of adrenaline in his body, he could not tell. Yet, the fact that people were cheering after he was done - with Rey’s cheers penetrating the sound of the rest of the crowd—seemed to relax him a little as he bowed jokingly, only to then hand the microphone back to the MC and hurry towards his friends, who by now had been joined by an unfamiliar face.

“Finn, I will kill you, I swear by everything I hold sacred. Don’t you ever do that to me again, or I’ll find a way to get back at you.” His threat was only half-serious as he jokingly nudged Finn, only then realizing he should probably introduce himself to the guy he presumed to be Rey’s recently transfered friend. “Oh, how rude of me, I’m—”

“—Armitage, I caught that. Suddenly I’m glad that Rey dragged me along to this damn party, because that was quite the sight. The name’s Poe, by the way.”

“Well, usually I’m not that embarrassing, that’s Rey’s job,” Hux joked, trying to hide how flustered he suddenly felt—his glass was almost empty, but now more than ever he felt like he needed to silence his thoughts because they were racing within his head, their abundance almost deafening to him for a moment, until he managed to regain to somewhat regain his composure. “Do you guys want some more drinks?” He glanced at Finn as if pleading for him to come along with him to the kitchen, and soon enough they were on their way, Armitage soon carefully assembling the ingredients of a Tom Collins for Poe. Rey had requested some cider, which had been no surprise to him. It was either that or tequila for her most of the times.

“Good job getting me to embarrass myself in front of cute guys, it’s like that’s your talent,” he muttered just loud enough when Finn had returned to his side with some cider, obviously amused. “At this rate I’m going to die alone and whilst you might consider that prospect amusing, I do not!”

“You were actually good up there, so maybe take a breath and dial down the panic just a tad, will you? It’s a goddamn party, not some upper class blind date situation.”

He wished it were that easy, but even after a few drinks he was not on Finn’s level of zero-fuck-giving, not when faced with such a gorgeous guy. “I guess, I guess. Besides that it’s probably you who should worry about him, Rey seemed rather eager for me to meet him. You might want to make your move soon, Finn, or it might be too late.”

“Yeah, I kind of doubt that, actually.” He could hear the smile in Finn’s voice without even looking at him, but whilst he usually was one to over-analyze, the drinks had taken some of the edge off him and thus he paid not much mind to it.

Instead, he found himself thinking about what he would say the moment they’d rejoin Rey and Poe with their drinks, though he unexpectedly had less time than he thought to consider the matter as Rey snuck up to them in the kitchen, already their coats in hand. “Come on guys, I need a breath of fresh air, we’re heading to the back porch. My head hurts so bad, I think Huxie might’ve destroyed my eardrums with his voice.”

“Not everyone was blessed with an angelic voice, okay? Without people like me, you wouldn’t even stand out, tsk.”

***

Maybe it was the drinks, maybe it was the fact that he usually got along well with Finn and Rey’s friends, he could not tell, but after they had—quite literally—chilled out on the porch for the better part of an hour, he found himself completely elated about the fact that he had decided to attend the party that night.

Poe was, for lack of a better word, absolutely captivating, though his drunk brain had tuned out at some point when he mentioned some details about the aerospace engineering degree he was doing. Armitage had never been the engineering kind of guy, one of the reasons he had instead found himself pursuing an Economics degree instead—there still was plenty of Maths, but if he were the one to judge, he’d argue it was a different kind. Besides that he doubted that he’d still have time for his music minor if he were to pursue a degree that was no doubt even more demanding than his current one.

Once they had returned inside, Finn had convinced Rey to dance with him, leaving Armitage and Poe on their own, returning to the kitchen to get some more drinks.

“Not a dancer, are you?”

Of course Poe would ask, after Hux had rolled his eyes rather noticeably at Rey’s suggestion, but the question caught him off-guard nevertheless. Being perceptive was his deal, he usually expected others to walk through life rather oblivious to the little intricacies of other people’s thoughts, something that supported his view of most people being inherently selfish and self-centered. Then again he had worked hard the past few years to silence his inner cynic, but at times he could not help but fall back into old patterns.

“Me? Oh, nono. You see, usually this is my favorite space at a party, just relaxing and watching some drama unfold or something. Sounds stupid, I know, but it is what it is.” Too honest, he thought as he poured himself a glass of water, for he doubted more alcohol would stop him from making even more of a fool of himself. “Dancing comes about as natural to me as flying does to a penguin, so go figure.”

A nervous chuckle came past his lips, then it seemed as if some kind of realization had hit him. “Wait … they’re dancing. _Oh my god._ Okay, so you didn’t hear it from me, right, but Finn has like this huge crush on Rey. Probably has had it for a while, I don’t think he told me soon after it started …”

His demeanor changed completely, for he was excited about the prospect of not having to listen to Finn gushing about Rey whilst not telling her how he felt anymore, downing his glass of water before placing it aside and reaching for Poe’s hand in the most nonchalant way. “Come on, as his wingman I gotta assess the situation.”

“Do I really have a choice?”

“No, Poe, you don’t, you’re stuck with me for now.”

“You make it sound like that’s such a bad thing.”

“So ever since when has Finn had a thing for Rey?”

They had managed to stay out of their friends’ sight as they stood on the edge of the dance floor, Hux throwing occasional glances their way though he was mostly focused on Poe—how could he not, he worried he might soon have to worry about an unrealistic crush himself, and he wasn’t looking forward to it. He had a hard time dating anyways, not for people’s lack of interest, but because he had started a habit of going on a date, or two, or three, only to eventually push them away when things might get serious, simply because the idea of someone permanently putting up with him seemed so outrageously impossible to him that he did not want to risk being disappointed. The amount of nights he had spent complaining to Finn about the matter—and being called a ‘dumbass’, because there was no logic to his thoughts at all—were countless, but he still couldn’t fully shake it.

“Better part of a year, I’d say? It’s been a while. I’m still waiting for him to make some kind of a move, though I doubt she’s actually oblivious to the entire thing. It’s complicated, I guess.” A soft shrug of his shoulders accentuated his words before he once more glanced over to them, only to realize they had disappeared from their previous spot.

“You should just relax, I have a feeling Rey might like him, though she seems like the type to pretend she doesn’t? Guess they have that in common.”

Armitage couldn’t argue with that, and really, maybe he should take just one night off from worrying about stuff he couldn’t control anyways, and instead enjoy the fact that he was having more fun at a party than he had in a long time.

***

Armitage hadn’t noticed the steady stream of people leaving even as the two of them had moved to sit on the stairs in the hallway, talking about anything and everything—Poe’s family, their interests, eventually he had even dared to open up about his rather amusing track record when it came to dating. In fact, it was Poe who ultimately pointed out the fact that everyone was going home, and for a moment he thought he heard a hint of regret in the other one’s voice, though he told himself he was simply imagining it.

“Maybe we should get going too … _wait_ ,” Poe mumbled as he leaned a little closer, and Armitage must’ve looked slightly foolish for his eyes followed the movement of Poe’s fingers as they brushed away a strand of red hair that had fallen into his face, a gesture so delicate he thought his heart might stop in shock and delight alike.

But stop it did not, instead it felt as if it was about to jump out of his chest as he found himself leaning in without a second thought, soon feeling the warmth of Poe’s lips against his own, a hint of sweetness from his previous drink still left on them. He would’ve lied had he said he hadn’t thought about kissing Poe a few times over the course of the evening, but he would’ve never imagined to be bold enough to actually do it, and as he realized that, his mind started to spiral, though it was momentarily quieted by the feeling of Poe’s arm wrapping around him, pulling him closer.

_Fuck._

What was he doing? Why was he making out with one of Rey’s friends? Was he asking for things to be awkward? He was certain that Poe wouldn’t even remember his name the next day, and besides that, he must’ve interpreted all the signals he thought were there wrong. Had he even stopped to think about them? No, because the moment someone showed any kind of gentle affection towards him, Armitage was melting into a puddle of something he could not describe—the only thing he knew was that although he had shown plenty of weakness that night, it felt like this was too much, like he was embarrassing himself whilst at the same time fucking everything up. Which specifics did the category of everything include? His thoughts were spiraling out of control, he could not care less.

Part of himself did not want to pull away from the kiss, instead wanted to enjoy it, even if it were probably the only time he would get to kiss the other one, but the overthinking part of his brain had always been the stronger one, and thus he hesitantly pulled back, slight panic apparent in his eyes.

“I’m sorry, I … shouldn’t have done that, I’m such an idiot … I should go.”

He doubted his drunk self had ever gotten onto its feet that fast, and even though he could hear Poe attempting to protest his leaving, he did not turn around, his feet controlled by his flight instinct as he tried to find Finn, soon spotting him near the front door.

“We gotta leave, I fucked up, big time. Don’t ask any questions, just go,” he instructed, barely able to grab his own coat before he dragged Finn out of the door and down the road until they were out of sight of the house, biting his lip nervously when he realized Finn was giving him a literal death glare.

“What did you do this time?”

“I … I kissed Poe and I think that was a horrible idea and he probably hated it and now Rey is gonna hate me too?”

“Quite the mental gymnastics, huh?”

“Talk to me about mental gymnastics again, you still think Rey isn’t interested in you even though anyone can see that.”

Somehow that seemed to shut Finn up, at least until they had returned to their dorm, Armitage dropping onto his bed fully clothed, sighing softly as he tried not to go into a full-blown anxiety episode now that he was in the safety of his home and could actually contemplate everything that had happened that evening.

“Wait, so let me recap all of this. You kissed Poe, you think he didn’t like it and now you’re spiraling again? Fuck’s sake, you know that normal people talk about that kind of stuff?” Finn seemed less agitated than he expected and instead simply exasperated, as if he could not believe what a mess Hux sometimes was. He should’ve known by now, but Armitage himself knew he sometimes took his panicked moments to new extremes. “Wait, Rey’s texting me. Poe asked her if he did something wrong, what am I supposed to say? I mean, did he do something?”

“No, god, he was so sweet, too sweet, and I just- I just feel like I ruined everything by kissing him because it was too soon and he probably won’t even remember my name tomorrow and all of this is just so … stupid.”

“So you think he’s cute? Alright then.”

When Armitage realized that Finn was about to text Rey back, he sat up once more, glaring at his closest friend. “What are you gonna write?”

“I’ll just tell her to give him your number and let him know that this is the weirdness he is signing up for if he wants to continue seeing you, I mean, a man has to know what he gets himself into, right?” Finn barely managed to dodge the pillow being thrown his way moments after, though that was the only retaliation he had to face as Armitage had decided to bury his face into the mattress as if it would help him in hiding from himself.

“God, why am I such a mess? It felt like Rey was setting this up and I still managed to ruin it. I’m gonna die alone, aren’t I?”

“We’re all born alone and we all die alone or something, wasn’t there a saying like that? One thing’s for sure, I’m not gonna let you drink that much anymore, it really brings out the angsty teenager in you and it’s not a good look.” Finn sighed before heading to the bathroom, leaving Armitage alone with his thoughts.

Though not for long, because less than a minute later he could feel his phone vibrate, and soon he realized that maybe he had not fucked up that much after all.

**[unknown number]** hey, rey gave me your number, u ok? got me kind of worried - poe

**[A.]** sorry about that, I’m weird

**[poe]** it’s all good. I like that, kinda

**[A.]** u say that to everyone?

**[poe]** no, never met anyone this weird

**[A.]** is that a compliment or an insult?

**[poe]** come on

**[poe]** u really have to ask that?

**[A.]** usually thats an insult

**[poe]** let me ask you something different then

**[poe]** you wanna hang out monday night?

Armitage could not tell for how long he was staring at his phone, contemplating his response—was there a point to seeing Poe again when the other one would eventually figure out that Hux was too odd to handle anyways? Maybe it was the unreasonable amount of alcohol in his system, or maybe Finn’s confidence and indifference had finally rubbed off on him, but he forced himself to silence his doubts and overcome them instead of giving in to his anxieties.

**[A.]** uh, sure, why not? Got class til 6 but after that im free

**[poe]** nice, just promise me you wont run off like that again

**[A.]** can’t make any promises but ill try ;)

**[A.]** wait, you got any plans in mind?

**[poe]** yep, but im not telling. Surprises and all that jazz.

**[poe]** just meet me in front of the main building at 7, okay?

**[A.]** surprises? Sure, I love those :)

He usually hated surprises, not because of whatever people came up with did not agree with him, but because he hated not knowing what life—or a person—had in store for him, though he wasn’t about to reveal that fact to Poe. However, with how smart and perceptive the other one had seemed, Armitage suspected that Poe had in part already figured out as much. In the end, it did not matter, he was not going to bother Poe with his own anxieties when he had already looked past the weird exit he had pulled off at the party.

**[A.]** anyways, gnight, can’t wait for monday!

“You’re in deep shit, aren’t you?” He had barely noticed Finn returning to their room, instead staring at his phone as if it would grant him any answers about the questions he had—would this be just like those other times he had met guys he developed some sort of infatuation with, only to end up running when things were about to get serious? Or would Poe take off first, taken aback by everything that made up Armitage’s personality?

“Maybe. I don’t know. You ever meet someone and think they’re too good to be true? It’s scary.”

“Yeah, all too well. But don’t worry, Rey has told me all about him, you think I’d risk you freaking out over someone who turns out to be a complete dick?”

“Of course you knew all about it, I wonder how long you’ve been planning all of this. Goodness, Finn, I’ll get back at you for all that eventually.”

It was an empty threat, for he hoped that he would instead end up thanking the two of them on the off-chance that this would work out—it was foolish of him to even think about the possibility, as he had known Poe only for a few hours, yet it felt to him as if he had known him forever. Just days ago he had laughed about the concept, had mocked those who had dared to spew such cheesy lines, and yet now he was curled up in his bed, his heart racing as he thought that Monday night couldn’t come fast enough.

He really was in deep shit this time.


End file.
